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PBC Courthouse to be named in honor of judge

Palm Beach County has a policy that prohibits naming county buildings after people or groups.

County commissioners, however, have voted unanimously to waive that policy so the Palm Beach County Courthouse on N. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach can be named in honor of U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley.

Noting Hurley’s reputation in the county’s legal community and the judge’s work in securing funding for the courthouse, Commissioner Dave Kerner asked his colleagues to waive the naming policy so Hurley could be honored.

“He was instrumental in procuring the funds needed to build this courthouse, and it’s a beautiful testament to his service,” Kerner said.

Commissioner Steven Abrams, a former mayor of Boca Raton, recalled the judge’s efforts to get support from the county’s large cities as he sought funding for the courthouse.

“He was the lead person going to all of the partners to obtain funding for the courthouse,” Abrams said.

Hurley, who is retiring, was appointed to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and confirmed by the Senate the next year. He served as a prosecutor in the county in the 1970s before becoming a circuit court judge.

The Palm Beach County Bar Association backed the idea of naming the courthouse in Hurley’s honor.

“We as a board feel this would be a fitting tribute to a legendary jurist in our legal community who I understand was instrumental in our circuit in securing a courthouse of this caliber,” John R. Whittles, president-elect of the association’s board, wrote.

After the County Commission voted to waive the naming policy so the courthouse could be named in Hurley’s honor, Kerner wrote to the judge that the date and time of an official naming ceremony will be coordinated with his office.